The Russian Merger
by boswifedeb
Summary: Mild mannered Murray Chase can handle corporate mergers and stacks of paperwork, but can he handle murder charges and jail time? Matt, CJ, and the rest of the gang come to Murray's defense. Rated T language and violence.
1. Chapter 1

**THE RUSSIAN MERGER**

Note: This story takes place immediately after "Mercy".

**CHAPTER 1**

"CJ, don't worry about it. When the time is right, it will happen. Okay?" Matt held her close and she laid her head on his chest.

"I know, Matt, but I just really thought that this time would be it." She was so disappointed that the pregnancy test wasn't positive.

"You know what?" He lifted her chin. "I'll bet you if you stop thinking about it and just relax it will happen before you know it." He kissed her. She smiled up at him, but he knew she was still really upset. "My great grandmother had a saying: "When it's time for you to have a baby, God will give you one – whether you're ready or not." Great Granny was a wise woman." He smiled down at her, kissed her again and hugged her even closer.

"Guess it's good advice. Maybe I should quit worrying so much about it." She knew Matt was probably right.

Her cell phone rang and she looked at the caller ID. "Hmm. It's Murray, wonder what's going on?" Murray Chase had been Matt's trusted accountant and was now the CEO of Houston Industries. Since Matt had decided to separate the detective agency from the other business endeavors, Murray was now in charge of Houston Industries, and loving every minute. All profits from the corporation went to charities and Matt was free from all of the hassle. He had no ties to it any more other than the fact that it bore his name. Plus he had realized a few years earlier that no one person had need of so much money and felt it would be better to help those who really needed it. Since then, he had been much happier, as had Murray, and life was a lot better. Now Matt could focus all of his time and attention on the detective agency.

"Hi, Murray, how's it going?" CJ automatically put his call on speaker. "I've got you on speaker and Matt's here with me."

"CJ, thank God you answered. I need your help – both of you. I'm in jail. They've accused me of murder." Murray sounded like he was about to hyperventilate.

"Good one, Murray. I almost fell for it. Maybe you should try acting, huh?" Matt smiled at CJ.

"Houston, I'm not joking. This is for real. They say that I killed Natasha, but I didn't. Please, I need your help." The CEO sounded like he was near tears.

"Alright, Murray, we'll be right there. Just hang tight, okay, buddy?" Houston looked at CJ whose shocked expression must have mirrored his own.

The call was disconnected. Matt started for the elevator while CJ grabbed her briefcase and purse. The two got on the elevator and headed for the parking garage.

Twenty minutes later they pulled into the parking lot of the jail. Both had spent a lot of time here; first helping Lt. Vince Novelli and nowadays Lt. Michael Hoyt. They were immediately recognized by Sgt. Bob Peterson. "I wondered how long it would take you two to get here. He's back in interrogation room three. Go on back. Lt. Hoyt is waiting for you." He handed them visitor passes that they quickly clipped on their shirts.

CJ started on down the hallway with Matt following closely. She knocked on the door of interrogation room three and it was answered by Lt. Michael Hoyt. "Come on in." He didn't look happy at all.

"Hoyt, what in the hell is going on here…" Matt started in on the police detective that he considered a close personal friend. How could he have arrested Murray, of all people, on murder charges? He was trying to control his temper but was close to losing it.

"Hold on, Houston, it wasn't me that arrested him. It was two beat cops that were called to the scene. I came down here to try to help him and keep him company until you got here." He knew Matt would be upset. Murray had been a trusted employee and more importantly a trusted friend to both CJ and Matt.

"Thank God you're here, CJ. I don't know what to do. I can't believe any of this is happening…" Murray was white as a sheet and appeared to be close to actually hyperventilating.

CJ walked over and gave him a hug. "Sit down, Murray. Calm down. It's going to be okay I promise you." She looked over at Hoyt. "What exactly is going on here, Michael?"

The harried-looking police lieutenant handed her a file folder that contained the arrest record for Murray. She read through it. "No way. You've got to be kidding me." CJ shook her head. "You and I both know that this isn't right."

"I don't think he did it either, but you've got to see it from the patrol officer's point of view: one, they've got a dead female in a hotel room; two, they've got a male who appears to be under the influence of either alcohol or narcotics with blood all over him. What were they supposed to do?" He reached into his pocket for the ever-present roll of antacids and popped two into his mouth.

"Who is this woman, Murray? And what were you doing…" Matt started to ask, but was silenced by CJ. "Not now, Matt, not here. Michael, what time will his bail hearing be held?"

"In three hours. I've arranged for him to be able to stay here and not get put in general population. Guilt by association, if you know what I mean." He looked at Houston, who gave a worried nod.

"What do you mean, "guilt by association", Lieutenant?" Murray was on his feet again.

"I think what he's trying to say is that if some of the folks that are locked up in here found out that you're a close personal friend of mine, they…wouldn't be very nice to you, Murray. Sit down, buddy." Matt put a hand on his friend's shoulder and eased him down into the chair.

"Oh, my God, I never even thought of that! What am I going to do?" He looked at his friends.

"The first thing you'll do is sit down and be quiet, Murray." CJ patted his hand. "You're not to say one word, do you understand me?" Murray fervently nodded his head. "Perfect." She gave him a reassuring smile.

Matt had picked up the arrest report and read it. "Hoyt, where are these two officers right now, do you know?"

"They're back on patrol, Houston, and you know you can't interview them while they are out there. I've asked them to stop by my office after their tour." He knew what Matt would want to do.

"Thanks, Hoyt, I really appreciate it." Matt looked over at Murray. "Look, do everything CJ tells you, alright? I'm going to go check out the crime scene. CJ, I'll be back as soon as I can." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Love you."

"Love you, too, Matt. Be careful, okay? And don't lose your temper." She knew how upset he was right now and also knew that when it came to friends and family, you didn't want to cross Matt Houston.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

"How ya doin', Houston? Long time no see." Sgt. Rick Oliver shook the private detective's hand.

"Pretty good, Rick, how's the family?" Matt had known Oliver for over six years.

"Good. Boys are growing like weeds and my daughter will graduate next spring. Hard to believe." He lifted the yellow crime scene tape so Matt could walk under it. "The lab boys are just about done. Shouldn't be but a few more minutes." He walked with Matt toward the door of the hotel room. "Detective March was here until a few minutes ago. They sent him out on some other call and I've been told to secure the scene until another detective gets here."

"Thanks, Rick." Matt couldn't believe that Murray had been picked up in a dump like this. It was known for many things, but its five star menu was certainly not among them. Murder, prostitution, drug deals, you name it had been going on here for longer than Matt had been in town. He couldn't understand why the city hadn't shut it down under the nuisance laws that were in effect.

A couple of minutes later, the CSI crew came out of the room. "How's it going, Houston?" Matt looked up to see Cheryl Crawford, one of the best CSI's around.

"Well, it was pretty good until I got the call about this." He motioned to the hotel room. "Can you tell me anything?"

Cheryl smiled and looked down. "Now, Houston, you know the rules. I can't report anything to you. Carry my case for me?" She winked at him and handed him one of the heavy cases that contained the tools of her trade. Matt took it from her and followed her to the van.

The CSI looked around to make sure no one was within ear shot of their conversation. "Look, I heard the guy that was arrested was a friend of yours. I hope he's got a good lawyer."

"He does, the very best there is; my wife." Matt didn't like the path that their talk was following.

"Good. Congratulations, by the way. Nice to know you two finally wised up." She gave him a smile that disappeared quickly. "There is a lot of evidence in there; DNA, fingerprints, broken glass, drugs…a lot of stuff. None of it good."

"Well, what's your take on it?" Matt respected her opinion and knew that she was a professional.

"It looks like the pair was boozing it up and getting high. They must have gotten into an argument, a liquor bottle was smashed over the woman's head, and she died. The coroner will have to decide if it was from the blow or the blood loss…and there was a LOT of blood."

Houston looked down at the ground. "I know you've got evidence Cheryl, but I can tell you this: I'm one hundred percent certain that he did not commit murder."

The CSI nodded her head. "I'm sure you are. But this is going to be a tough one." She closed the doors on the back of the van. "Give my best to CJ. Take care." With that, she walked around to the front of the van and drove off.

Matt walked back up to the hotel room and carefully stepped inside, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness inside. He pulled a flashlight out of his back pocket and started looking around. Cheryl hadn't been lying: there was a lot of blood, most of it at the base of a dresser that looked like it had been around at least fifty years too long. The outline where the body had been showed that the victim's head was toward the dresser. Houston pulled a pair of leather gloves out of his pocket and put them on. He opened each drawer on the dresser only to find absolutely nothing. Continuing his search around the room, Matt looked in the bathroom, finding a complete and total mess of liquor bottles and what appeared to be cigarette ashes. He knew for a fact that Murray didn't smoke, didn't take drugs, and very rarely had a drink. He turned and walked toward the bed that looked as if an elephant had recently rolled across it. The sheets were ripped as were the pillows, whose foam pieces were scattered all over the bed and the floor. More blood was on the head board. In the corner there was a chair that held what appeared to be a woman's robe and a pair of house slippers was haphazardly thrown underneath. Matt found absolutely nothing that looked as if it belonged to Murray.

Although he knew that Hoyt would let him look at the forensics reports, Matt wished that he could have seen the room as the arresting officers had seen it. Even the pictures that would accompany the report just weren't as good as the real thing. He turned back toward the bathroom and caught a glimpse of something white behind the door. Carefully moving the door, he looked down and saw what appeared to be a cigarette. Kneeling down for a closer look, Matt recognized it as looking like a type of Russian cigarette: the filter was about as long as the tobacco portion. He took out his cell phone, took a picture of the cigarette, then called Hoyt to let him know what he had found.

"A Russian cigarette? How do you know it's Russian?" Hoyt couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Well, I don't know for certain that it is, but that's what it looks like. I've seen them before." Matt wasn't going into detail on how he had seen them. Not if he could help it.

"Alright, I'll call out the CSI's again. Like they aren't backlogged enough." He knew Matt only wanted to help his friend.

While he waited just outside the door for CSI to send someone out, Matt called Uncle Roy and told him what was going on and what he had just found. Roy had spent plenty of time dealing with the Russians while with the CIA.

"That's exactly what it sounds like, Matt. Listen, have they done a blood test on Murray? If not, CJ will want to get one done on him – just in case. For that matter, she needs to make sure it's done by an outside company." Roy hadn't known Murray Chase as long as Matt or CJ, but he would never believe the man was guilty of murder.

"Alright, I'll call her and let her know. I'm sending you a picture of the cigarette. You can see for yourself. Talk to you later." Matt sent the picture to his uncle's email, then dialed CJ's cell phone. She answered on the second ring.

"How's our boy holding up?" Matt was worried about Murray. He was a whiz at numbers and corporate mergers, but jail and being arrested for murder were way out of his league.

"About as good as can be expected." CJ looked over at her client. He was staring at the wall.

Matt told her what Uncle Roy had said about the blood test. "The sooner the better. Are you doing okay, CJ?"

"Yep, I'm fine. I'll get right on that test, Matt. Thanks for the heads up. Love you, 'bye." She knew he was really worried about Murray.

"Love you, too. I'll talk to you later." He hung up and stared back inside the trashed hotel room. It never ceased to amaze him how little some people valued human life.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

"Why do I need a blood test, CJ?" Murray was nervously eying the needle that the nurse was holding. CJ had hired an independent lab to do the testing.

"Trust me, Murray, you'll be fine and it could very well help to clear you." She hadn't told him yet about the urine test that he would also be taking.

Michael Hoyt came back into the interrogation room. "What's going on?" He watched as Murray flinched when the nurse approached him with the needle.

"Drug testing. Matt thought it might be a good idea after seeing the crime scene." CJ didn't want to say too much. The wrong person could be listening.

"Our lab people are supposed to do that, too. Is he going to be okay?" Hoyt motioned toward Murray, who was now turning an incredible shade of white after hearing that he would be facing more than one needle. CJ reached over and took his hand.

"It won't take but a minute, okay Murray? If it will help to prove you didn't do anything wrong then it's worth it, right?" She was getting more worried about him by the second.

Murray just nodded. "I know I sound like an idiot. I just hate needles. They remind me of the allergy shots that I had to take as a kid." He squeezed CJ's hand.

"Well, I've got some good news for you then. The next thing you'll need to do is pee in a cup. That shouldn't cause any problems, right?" She smiled at him as he raised his head and looked at her.

"No, absolutely no problem at all." He actually looked relieved.

Hoyt rolled his eyes. "Alright, I'll be upstairs in my office if you two need anything." He left the interrogation room and headed toward the elevator, where he saw Detective Ryan March waiting. He knew that March had been assigned to Murray's case. "March, have you got a minute?"

The young detective turned around and nodded. "Just that. Dispatch just called and gave me another case, but I need to run up to my desk and get a couple of things before I head out. What can I do for you?"

"Can you tell me anything about the Murray Chase case?" Hoyt followed him onto the elevator. As the doors closed he turned to look at March.

"Not much really. Looks pretty cut and dried. Man and woman partying in a hotel room, the guy gets mad, knocks the woman over the head with a whiskey bottle. Dead woman. Guy appears to have been drunk or high." He had seen too many cases that were just the same in his four years as a detective. "Although, he really doesn't look the type."

"He's not – I've known him for several years now." Hoyt tried not to sound unprofessional. "Look, I know we've all got a job to do, but if you could, please try to give the guy the benefit of the doubt."

"I'll do what I can Lieutenant, but you know how it is." He shook Hoyt's hand and got off the elevator. Hoyt followed and made his way into his office, where he opened the top drawer on his desk and pulled out a new bottle of liquid antacid and took a large swig.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER 4**

Back at the office, Matt and Roy had Baby, the computer, researching Russian cigarette brands. While awaiting the results, Matt had walked out onto the patio and was watching the flow of traffic below. His mind drifted back to his military service in Iraq and Afghanistan. That was where he had first encountered Russian cigarettes. He closed his eyes. Those days were not ones that he liked to think about, and he had managed not to in quite a while. He had seen so many things that cut him to his very soul. The complete disregard for human life that some of the enemy had flaunted, as well as some of what Matt and his fellow soldiers were told were allies. Matt didn't trust them, ever. He didn't hear Uncle Roy walk up behind him.

"You okay, Matt?" Roy knew he was worried about Murray, but there was something else bothering him.

Matt's head shot up. "Yeah, fine. I didn't hear you come out." He looked back down at the traffic but that wasn't what he was seeing. In his mind's eye, there were pictures of the torture and murder of innocent men, women, and children that he had seen perpetrated by "allies." An incident at an orphanage for girls was a particularly strong memory. He shook his head and looked back up at Roy. "I better get back inside and see what Baby has for us. Something good, I hope." With that he turned around and went back to the computer.

Roy knew Matt was lying. He had seen that look too many times on the face of his own son, Will. Will had been a prisoner of war in Iraq and had finally been rescued in Afghanistan. After lots of therapy and time away from the horrors of war, he was doing better. But there were still those times when Roy saw the haunted look on his face.

Matt sat down in front of Baby and started going through the information that "she" had given them so far. Roy came in and sat down next to him on the couch and they started comparing the picture Matt had taken to the one's that the computer was giving them. After what seemed like hours, but in reality was only minutes, Matt stopped. "That's it. Right there. See, the mark right there?" Matt pointed it out on the computer screen, then brought up the picture he had taken so that they could compare them side by side.

"I'd say that's a match." Roy was looking closely at it. "I knew a fellow by the name of Karmosov back in the day. He smoked those. Things stank to high heaven. Don't know how he stood them."

"What ever happened to him?" Matt sat back on the couch and looked over at his uncle.

"I heard he had been killed. He was an assassin for the KGB. Darn good shot, too, even if he was working for the wrong side." Roy got up and headed for the bar. "Coffee?"

Matt looked at his watch. "No, thanks, Murray's hearing should start in a little bit. I'm going back down there." As he got to the office door, he stopped and turned to look at his uncle. "Do you ever think about…?" He looked down at the floor. "Never mind. See you later." With that he went down the steps and hit the button for the elevator which immediately opened and he was gone.


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER 5**

"$200,000,000 for bail?" Murray was astounded by how much it had cost Matt and CJ to get him out of jail. The three of them were walking to Matt's truck.

"It's no big deal, Murray. We'll get it back." Houston reached out and clapped him on the shoulder. He unlocked the truck and helped CJ get in while Murray opened the back door and got inside. Matt walked around the front of the truck and climbed in the driver's side. He looked at Murray in the rearview mirror. "You're not going to skip town on me, are you?" It was meant as a joke, but the executive took a long time to answer. "The correct answer to that is no, Murray." He smiled at his friend and started the truck.

"Yes, I mean no…" Murray felt as if his world was crashing in on him.

"It's going to be alright, I promise you." CJ turned sideways in her seat to get a look at the man in the back seat. He just didn't look well. "We're going back to the office and have some lunch brought up. Then the three of us are going to sit down and go through this whole thing from start to finish." He just nodded at her.

Back at the office, Matt took Chris aside and told her what was going on and that they needed to be very careful of who was allowed in the office. She gave him a strange look and started to ask why. He knew what she was about to say. "Just trust me on this, Chris. Please."

"Whatever you say, Houston." She turned back toward her desk just as the elevator doors opened up. The delivery boy from De Luca's Pizza stepped out. Matt had been about to go into CJ's office but stopped and paid the delivery boy. "Great tip! Thanks, mister." With that he got back on the elevator and left.

"Tell you what, Chris. Turn on the answering machine and come have lunch with us. You might be just what we need to cheer Murray up a little bit." He smiled at her as he walked over to the elevator, pulled out his keys, and turned the lock on the control panel. No one would be able to get into the office through the elevator.

"Sure, that would be nice. I hardly get to see him anymore." She smiled back at her boss and went on in to the main office.

"We're setting up on the poker table." Matt was right behind her with the pizza, hot wings, and bread sticks.

Murray looked up as Matt and Chris entered the office. "Chris!" He jumped to his feet and met her halfway to the poker table. "I didn't see you when we got here."

"I was away from my desk for a minute." She gave him a hug. "I sure don't get to see you much." Chris noticed how pale he seemed.

"No, I don't get up to the penthouse very often. I'm sure Houston is glad of that." He turned to look at Matt.

"Now, Murray, you know it wasn't you that I didn't want to see; it was all those stacks of paperwork." He remembered doing everything in his power to dodge the accountant many times back when he still owned Houston Industries.

"Well, I don't know about you three, but I'm starving." CJ opened the pizza box. There was a loud bang and flames shot out of it.


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

Matt ran to CJ, who was now on the floor. "Are you okay? CJ? Honey, talk to me!"

CJ looked shocked and dazed. "Yeah, I'm alright. I'm okay, Matt."

He helped her up to her feet and held her in his arms. "Are you sure? We can go get you checked out right now." Matt held her at arm's length and looked her over.

"No way. I'm fine." She looked over at the now-smoldering pizza box and the charred poker table. "I believe I just lost my appetite."

"Are you two okay?" He turned to look at a shaken Chris who was in Murray's arms. They both nodded.

Matt looked at what was left of the pizza box, and pulled out his cell phone. "Hoyt, I need you at my office, now. Somebody put a bomb in the pizza that we had delivered. No, I'm not kidding. Call me when you get here and I'll unlock the elevator for you." He disconnected the call.

"CJ, did you use your cell phone or the office phone to place that order?" He turned back toward his wife who still appeared dazed.

"The phone in my office. Matt, we order pizza from there practically every week." She stared at the destruction.

"Yeah, I know." He walked into CJ's office and took her phone apart looking for any kind of bugging device, but found nothing.

A short time later Lt. Hoyt showed up with a CSI team to investigate the bombing. "Is everyone okay?" He looked at the four of them.

"We're all fine, Hoyt. A little shaken, but fine." Matt was mad. "Can I talk to you privately?" He motioned for the detective to follow him downstairs to the gym. Once there, he turned to face Hoyt. "Look, somebody is out to get Murray. I don't know who or why, but they obviously want him taken out of circulation."

"You don't know if they were after him or you. Come on, Houston, this is not the first time somebody has tried to take a crack at you." He could recall several occasions that he knew of personally and had heard of more that occurred before he was assigned to Novelli's old position.

"Well, it seems pretty obvious to me. First he gets framed for murder at a cheap hotel, then the bomb in the pizza. Everybody has a bad day now and then, but seriously? Do you really think that it wasn't aimed at him?"

"I've got no proof, you know that." Hoyt turned and walked around the gym. "But, I do believe we need to find out what he's been working on lately and if he's made any enemies." He turned back to face Matt. "I'm leaving you and CJ in charge of that." Hoyt reached in his pocket for the antacids that he kept in almost constant use. "I take it he won't be going home tonight. What's your plan?"

Matt had been pondering on that since he found the cigarette at the crime scene. He rubbed the back of his neck and paced around the gym. "I guess I'll take him to the ranch. I've got a good security system on the house. Between Uncle Roy and myself we can keep a watch out." He ran a hand through his hair. "CJ ordered the pizza on the office phone. Can you get your tech folks to check it out? I looked at it but didn't find any bugs. They must have the line tapped or something."

"I'll tell them right now." He turned and started for the steps, then turned back. "I'll have the patrols increased around the ranch and put a couple of officers on the front gate."

"Thanks, Hoyt, I appreciate it." Matt followed his friend back up the stairs.

CJ was sitting on the couch in front of Baby, while Murray and Chris were seated on the other end. Matt noticed Murray still had his arm around Chris. He walked over to his wife and knelt down beside her. "Are you sure you don't want to go get checked out?"

"I'm fine, Matt. Just mad." She glanced over toward Murray and Chris. "And I'm scared – for Murray."

Matt nodded. "I know, babe, I am too. But Chris sure seems to be comforting him." He smiled at the two of them. "You know, I always wondered…"

"You weren't the only one, pal." She looked over at the pair on the other end of the couch. Chris looked up and caught her eye and blushed.


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

"Houston, I really don't want to be a bother to you and CJ. I'll be fine at home." Murray was in the back seat of Matt's truck.

"Nope, you're going to be a guest at the ranch until we get this mess cleared up. Besides, I've got $200,000,000 invested in you right now. Gotta keep an eye on you." He smiled at the CEO in the rearview mirror.

"Do you really think I'd skip out on you?" Murray looked shocked.

Matt shook his head and looked over at CJ, then took her hand in his. She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

When they got to the ranch Uncle Roy was already there and had done a sweep of the house to make sure everything was alright. He opened CJ's door for her when they pulled up and gave her a peck on the cheek. "I heard you had a less than wonderful lunch experience today."

"You know, we never had that kind of problem with Mama Novelli's pizza." She smiled back at him.

They all went into the house. Matt laid out the ground rules for Murray. "Rule number one: you stay inside at all times. Rule number two: you stay away from the windows and the blinds stay closed. Rule number three: you don't make any phone calls until Uncle Roy is certain that no one has messed with these phone lines. Got it?"

"Yes, sir. But I still think…" he started to say.

"Nope, you obey my rules, Murray. I'm going to do my best to keep you safe, but you have to work with me here, okay?" Matt saw the worry on his friend's face.

Murray just nodded. "Now, go make yourself comfortable in the den. You want a drink or something?" Matt walked over to the refrigerator. "Let's see, orange juice, lemonade, sweet tea, Fizzy Pop, beer, milk, there oughta be something there you like. If not, let me know."

"No, thanks." Murray looked around the house. "You know, Houston, this house was always nice before, but there's just something about it now, you know, now that you and CJ are married…it's more like a home than a house."

"That's because it is now." Matt looked through the kitchen door at CJ who was talking with Uncle Roy in the den. "And someday, there are going to be kids running through here, spilling God-knows-what on the carpet, and breaking things left and right." He grinned. "Then it really will feel like home."

The two men walked into the den. "Uncle Roy, I've got to go back to Hoyt's office to talk with the two officers that made the arrest. Can you hold down the fort here?" Matt put his arm around CJ.

"Sure I can. I've finished checking the phones, by the way. No critters. But I will say this…" He turned to look at Murray. "Don't make any phone calls unless they are absolutely necessary. You never know who might be listening."

Murray nodded and wandered off toward the fireplace and was looking at the pictures on the mantle.

"Get him something to eat, CJ, and then you two sit down and talk about what happened last night, okay?" He held her close and gave her a kiss. "I'll be back just as soon as I can." He walked over to the gun cabinet, unlocked it, and took out a couple of fresh clips for his pistol and put them in his pocket. CJ watched him with a worried expression.

"Better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them, CJ." He rubbed her arm as he walked past.


	8. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

"Houston, this is Officer Carla Ruiz and Officer Martin Ross."

Matt shook both officers' hands. "Nice to meet you. Look I know you've had a long shift and I really do appreciate y'all agreeing to talk with me this afternoon. I was wondering if you could tell me about the arrest of Murray Chase this morning at the El Capitan Hotel." He sat on the corner of Hoyt's desk.

"Yes, sir. We got the call about 8:30 and got there about five minutes later. We found Mr. Chase staggering around the hotel room with a bloody broken bottle in his hand. He was mumbling something that neither one of us could make out. The female was dead on the scene. We took Mr. Chase into custody and called for the coroner and the detectives." Officer Ross put his notebook back in his pocket.

"Did he say anything at all that you could understand?" Matt was at a total loss.

This time Officer Ruiz responded. "No, sir, he sounded like he was either drunk or on drugs. There were a lot of liquor bottles there and several pill bottles were lying around on the dresser and on the countertop in the bathroom. When we put him in the back of the patrol car he was still mumbling."

"Did you see anyone else hanging around the hotel, say in the parking lot?" Houston was running out of questions.

"No, sir, I didn't." Ruiz looked over at Ross who shook his head.

"Well, thanks so much for taking the time to talk with me." He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out two business cards. "If you should happen to remember anything else, please call."

"Yes, sir." Both Officers stood and looked at Lt. Hoyt. "Will that be all, Lieutenant?"

"That's it. Thanks for your help." He waited until the pair had left and the door was shut. "It just doesn't sound good, Houston. There's absolutely nowhere to go with it."

Matt walked around the office then sat down on the couch. He rubbed his temples. "Hoyt, I know Murray: he wouldn't hurt a fly, much less a woman. Have you found out anything about the delivery boy from De Luca's?"

"The kid comes up clean. I don't think he knew there was a bomb in there. He said that he had to leave his car when he made a delivery just before the one to your office. Near as we can tell, that must be when the bomb was put in the box. The owner of the restaurant is clean, too. And as far as Murray is concerned, I believe he's innocent. But a jury that doesn't know him is going to believe otherwise." He reached in the top drawer for the antacid again and glanced over at Houston to make sure he wasn't looking: he was rubbing his eyes. Hoyt took a swig out of the bottle and replaced it.

"Guess I better get back to the ranch and see if CJ has come up with anything." Matt walked to the door. "You really should try the yogurt, Hoyt." With that, he left the office.


	9. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

"Okay, Murray, let's start at the beginning. You said her name was Natasha. What's her last name?" CJ had her laptop open and was taking notes.

"Rossovich. She came over from Russia when she was very young. Her mother and father were killed during a terrorist attack at a hospital. She came here to live with her uncle." Murray was sitting on the couch drinking a glass of lemonade. "CJ, I swear this is the best lemonade I've ever had in my life!"

"Thank you, Murray. I made it last night." She took a sip from her own glass and then started with the questions again. "How did you two meet?"

Murray stared down at the glass of lemonade in his hand, somewhat embarrassed. "I met her at a speed dating session about two months ago." He looked back up at CJ with a shy smile. "Running Houston Industries doesn't leave much time to date, so this speed dating thing made sense, you know?" CJ nodded. "It was wonderful, like we'd known each other for a long time. We both like…" He paused for a minute. "Liked – so many of the same things. Old movies, Mozart, you know, that kind of stuff." She nodded again. "We hit it right off. When the session was over that night we left together and went dancing." He smiled. "You know what a terrible dancer I am. But she didn't make fun of me, she just taught me." Looking down at the glass in his hand, he looked like a lost little boy. "We went out almost every night for two weeks. It was wonderful." He took another sip. "I've never been very good with women…not like Houston. You know, he always made it look so easy." CJ smiled, remembering how Matt had always had women hanging off of him, even as a teenager. "And then you two finally got together, and I kept thinking that it was kind of like a fairy tale, you know?" He gave a small laugh. "A CEO of a Fortune 500 company wanting to believe in a fairy tale just doesn't sound right, does it?"

"Everybody wants to be happy, Murray. There's nothing silly about it." CJ took a sip of her drink. "So, you hit it off, and were dating. Then what?"

"Well, we had a date set for one night, but she called sounding really upset and said that she had to cancel. I asked her if something was wrong, if there was anything I could do to help her, and she told me it had something to do with her uncle. Then she said she couldn't talk right then and would call me later." Murray shook his head. "I've been dumped – a lot. At first I thought that was it, but then she called me back a few hours later. She said some men had come to her uncle's house and had held the family at gunpoint until the uncle promised to handle some kind of a situation for them."

"Did she say what kind of situation?" CJ put her glass down on the coffee table.

"She said it had something to do with the old country – Russia. I told her that Houston might be able to help them, but she got really upset and said that he might tell the police and that the men would kill her and her family. So I didn't call him." Murray got up and started pacing around the den. "I didn't hear from her for a couple of weeks. Then she called me and told me that everything was okay, that her uncle had taken care of the situation and she asked if I still wanted to go out together. Of course I said yes." He smiled. "We started going out again. That was last week. Then last night she met me at the office and we went to a Russian restaurant that she likes. We had dinner and a few drinks. Then we went to a club and had a few more. That's when things start getting foggy. I remember getting in a car with her. Then everything went black. When I woke up this morning I was in a hotel room, covered with blood. I sat up and looked around and that's when I saw Natasha…" He broke down.

CJ walked over to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Come sit back down, Murray." She led him to the couch.

"She was dead CJ! And covered in blood. And then the police were there asking questions, but I couldn't talk right. I knew what I wanted to say, but my mouth just wouldn't work. They handcuffed me and put me in a squad car. All I could get out when I got to the jail was "Hoyt."" He shook his head. "Sgt. Peterson recognized me and called Lt. Hoyt down. He took me back to an interrogation room and gave me my cell phone so I could call you. That's when I could finally talk."

She patted him on the shoulder. "Murray, it sounds like you were drugged. Don't worry, we'll get it all straightened out."

"But they say I killed her, CJ! And I don't know if I did or not!" He stood back up and walked to the fireplace.

"Murray, I know you didn't kill her and so do you." CJ stood up.

"And I know you didn't kill her." Matt had walked in without either one hearing him.

Murray turned around and looked at his two friends. "I'm glad you do, because right now I just don't know."

"You're forgetting that I've already been through something like this before." Matt was referring to a couple of years earlier when he had been kidnapped and brainwashed by an ex-CIA psychiatrist known as "The Magician."

"Murray, nobody in their right mind would believe that you killed that girl – not anybody that knows you." Matt walked in and stood facing Murray. "Look, you just said things got foggy, that everything went black, and then when you woke up you couldn't talk. You were drugged, Murray. I don't know what they used, but I'm sure the blood test you took will show what it was." He took Murray by the shoulder and led him back to the couch.

"I've got to ask you some questions, and they may not be polite, but I need a straight answer, okay?" Matt sat down on the coffee table in front of Murray who nodded his head. "Now, did Natasha take drugs?"

"No." Murray shook his head, picked up the glass of lemonade and took a large gulp.

"Did she smoke?" Matt looked him straight in the eye.

"No." He took another gulp.

"Alright. I need you to write down her address and phone number for me." He handed Murray a notebook and pen. "You were talking about an uncle: do you know his name or where he lives?"

Murray had an embarrassed look on his face. "I don't know where she lived. We never went there. She always met me at the office. All I have is her cell phone number." He wrote it in the notebook. "She never said what her uncle's name was, except I heard her call him Uncle Alex one time."

"Where was this Russian restaurant that you talked about?" He took back the pen and notebook.

"I really didn't pay much attention when we were on the way there – we took a cab. It was close: somewhere around Santa Monica Boulevard and Fairfax." Murray looked up at Matt. "I'm sorry to be so much trouble, Houston. I'd give anything to go back…"

"Nonsense. Do you remember what cab company it was?" Matt stood up and walked over behind the chair that CJ was sitting in.

"Yellow. I do remember that. We caught it right in front of the office." He took another sip of the drink.

"Alright. I've got someplace to look now. That's a start." Matt reached down and squeezed CJ's shoulder. "You keep a good eye on him for me, okay CJ? I'm going to go check out these leads. Love you." He leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek and quietly walked out of the room.


	10. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

As Matt started the truck his phone rang. He looked, saw that it was Roy, and put it on speakerphone. "Where are you, Uncle Roy?" He was supposed to be keeping an eye on things at the ranch.

"I'm down by the main gate. We've got company: a couple of guys in a phone company van who seem to think that taking pictures is part of their job description." Roy sounded irritated.

"I'll be down there in just a minute." He broke the connection then hit CJ's number on his speed dial. "Lock the doors, turn on the alarm and you and Murray get into the bathroom in the center of the house. Can't talk right now. I'll call you." He hung up before she could get in a word.

Roy had the trunk on his car open and was keeping an eye on their guests. Matt pulled up behind his uncle's car and got out of the truck. He surveyed the area as he walked to the back of the car. He noticed that Roy had taken off his suit jacket and tie and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. That usually meant trouble.

"Hoyt posted a couple of officers on the gate. They were here when I got here a little while ago. Where are they now?" He looked down into the trunk at the variety of weapons that his uncle kept there.

"Don't know. I decided to check out the gate after you came in, and when I got here, this is what I found." He motioned to the van. One of the men was up on a phone pole, while the other was behind the open rear door of the van taking pictures through the window.

"Guess I need to make a phone call." Matt pulled his phone out of his pocket and hit Hoyt's number. "Hoyt, it's Houston. We've got a couple of guys down here at the gate acting like they work for the phone company – but they're taking pictures. Where are your officers?"

"You mean they aren't there? Hang on." Hoyt picked up the phone on his desk. Matt could hear him punching buttons, then "Sanders. I assigned two officers to the front gate of Houston's ranch. Where are they?" Matt heard silence for a minute. "No, they aren't. I've got Houston on my cell phone telling me they aren't anywhere in sight."

Matt continued to watch the two men. The guy on the phone pole said something to the one on the ground, who then started to pick up the "Men Working" sign as the other climbed down the pole. Matt interrupted Hoyt. "Looks like they're packing up, Hoyt."

"Alright. I'm still trying to track down those officers. They aren't answering their radio." Hoyt's concern could be clearly heard in his voice.

The two men loaded up in the van and went on down the road. Matt turned back toward his truck. "Keep an eye out, Uncle Roy. I'm going to follow them. Hoyt, you got that?"

"Yeah, and I've also got two more cars dispatched out there and I'm heading that way, too." He hung up the phone and took off out the door of his office.

Matt got in his truck and flew out of the gate that Uncle Roy had opened for him and turned right, following the van that was now almost out of sight. As he increased his speed, he thought about the road up ahead: a mass of sharp hairpin turns that had caused their share of accidents. _If they keep up this rate of speed they're going to lose it on one of these curves _Matt thought to himself.

The driver of the van stepped on the gas even more as he took one of the curves and the van toppled down a rocky ravine, splintering apart as it fell. Matt screeched to a halt at the point where the van had left the road, just as it burst into flames. He looked around the ravine in case anyone had been ejected from the van but could see no sign of life. Hitting Hoyt's number once again, he watched as the van continued to burn. "Hey, we're going to need the fire department and most likely the coroner. They went off the road." After hearing Hoyt swear, he hung up and called Uncle Roy to let him know the outcome of the chase.

"Well, they didn't last long, did they?" He continued to keep watch on the road with a pair of binoculars. "I'll call CJ and let her know what's going on and that you're okay, Matt. Just be careful." He hung up and immediately called CJ, who sounded shaken as she answered. He explained what had happened and let her know that her husband was safe and sound.

"Thanks, Uncle Roy. He sure scared me when he called. We're okay here, you two just be careful." She hung up and told Murray what had happened.

Sitting on the side of the huge claw-footed tub, Murray was visibly shaken. "How does he deal with stuff like this all the time, CJ?"

"Well, Murray, some folks can handle corporate mergers and stacks upon stacks of paper work. Others can handle … well, the stuff that Matt handles." She grinned at him.

Back at the accident scene, Hoyt had just pulled up and directed one of the patrol cars to cover the gate at the ranch and the other to search for the missing officers. He walked over to Houston as the firemen put out small brush fires that had ignited. "Lousy PI's are just like lightning rods." Matt just looked at him and smiled.

"Face it, Hoyt; your life was boring until you met me." He saw the disgusted look that met his comment.

"Doesn't look like that fire is helping any evidence that we might have been able to collect from the van." The lieutenant reached into his pocket for an antacid.

After the firemen had put out the blaze, Hoyt and Matt worked their way down into the ravine and began looking at the scene. Two badly burnt bodies were in the van. Matt pointed out the remains of the camera to Hoyt. "Somehow I don't think we're going to be getting any evidence from that. Maybe we can at least get an ID on our two crispy critters here." His remark was met with a scowl from Hoyt.

"Well, guess I'll talk to you later, Hoyt. I've got some leads to check out." With that, he headed back up the hill to his truck and left to check on the restaurant and cab leads.


	11. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

"Houston! How the hell are ya?" Frankie DiCenzo walked out of the dispatch office at the cab company. "I haven't seen you since – what – the year Novelli was shot?"

Matt shook his hand. "I believe you're right. How are things going?"

"Oh, you know how it is. Ex-wives, alimony, child support, the usual." DiCenzo shook his head and smiled. "But maybe you don't know how it is. I heard you and your lady lawyer friend got married. Is that right?"

"Yep, smartest move I've ever made." Houston smiled. "Look, Frankie, I need to ask you for some help. A good friend of mine has been accused of murder and he was a passenger in one of your cabs last night. It would sure be a big help if I could talk to the driver and see the security camera footage."

"Sure. Do you know where he was picked up?" The tubby former-cop turned and walked back into the office.

"Yeah, right in front of my office." Matt followed him.

DiCenzo hammered at the keyboard. "Yeah, here it is. Cab #713 picked up there about 8:00 pm last night. Sound about right?"

"Yeah, that should be him." Matt watched over the man's shoulder as he continued pounding on the keyboard.

"Well, you're in luck my friend. That cab happens to be here right now. It's in for an oil change and tire rotation. But as for the driver – no. He's gone to Mexico on a fishing trip." He got up and waddled out into the garage, looking to the right hand side of the building. "Hey, Ricky! Ricky!" He looked at Matt and rolled his eyes. "These damn kids nowadays. Always gotta have those earplugs stuck in their heads."

Matt smiled and followed him across to where a young man was jacking up the right front side of the cab. DiCenzo tapped the boy on the shoulder, causing him to jump.

"What the hell! Man, you shouldn't sneak up on somebody like that!" Ricky gripped his chest.

"If you didn't have that crap that you listen to turned up to ten jillion decibels you wouldn't get scared so easy." Frankie pushed the mechanic out of the way and opened the front door of the cab. He reached for the security camera and removed the card from it.

"Turn that stuff down kid, it ain't good for ya! Might give ya a heart attack." He slammed the car door and turned back toward the office. "C'mon, Houston, let's see what's on here."

Matt followed him back inside and watched as he popped the card into his computer then pounded on the keyboard some more. "Here ya go. Bald headed dude, is that him?" He glanced around at Matt.

"Yep, that's him." Matt watched as Murray got into the cab with a red head that he assumed was Natasha. The woman leaned forward and gave the address to the cab driver, then proceeded to kiss Murray.

DiCenzo wasn't impressed. "Humph. This guy looks like an accountant."

"He is - or was. He's now the CEO of Houston Industries." He leaned closer to the screen.

"I hate accountants. My third wife ran off with one. Or was it the fourth one?" Frankie pondered on that for a minute as Matt continued to watch the video. "Wow, this chick was really playing tonsil hockey, hey?"

Matt just looked down at him. "How many times have you been married Frankie?" He gave the dispatcher a reproachful look.

"Too many. Guess you need this card, huh?" He made a copy of it, then gave Matt the original along with the address of the drop off.

"Thanks, Frankie. I owe you one." Matt shook his hand and turned to leave the office.

"Congrats on the marriage, Houston. Don't make the same mistakes I did: be sure to treat her right, hear me?" DiCenzo leaned forward in his chair.

"Always have, always will, Frankie. Thanks, again." Matt left the garage and headed to the address of the restaurant that Murray had gone to last night.

As he headed north toward Santa Monica Boulevard, he called CJ. "How are y'all doing?"

"Pretty good. He's gone past the shock stage and is starting to get mad about what happened." CJ poured herself a cup of coffee and leaned against the kitchen counter.

"Well, that's good. Maybe that will shake some of the cobwebs loose and he'll remember more about what happened." Matt stopped at an intersection and, out of habit, glanced up in the rearview mirror. There was a blue Chrysler three cars back. It had been behind him for several miles now. "Gotta go, babe. Love you." He hung up the phone. As the light turned green, Matt hit the gas and made a quick left turn onto the next street. He then made another quick left, then another. One more left turn and this strategy put him following the Chrysler that had been following him. "Much better to be the hunter than the hunted." He jotted down the license number and continued to follow the car. Just then the driver apparently spotted him and took off in an effort to loose Matt, who decided that since he had the plate number, he would be able to find out about the driver without a confrontation. Right now he needed to concentrate on clearing Murray.

He hit Hoyt's number on the speed dial. "Hey. I've got a plate number for you. Somebody was tailing me."

"Please tell me this one didn't run off the road and explode, too." Hoyt sounded like it had been a long day.

"Nope, they just got played. I ended up following them." Matt grinned.

"And now you're sitting there smiling about the whole thing, is that right, PI?" The lieutenant shook his head and couldn't help but smile himself. Houston really was something else.

"Naw, not me. Look, I'm just pulling up to the restaurant that Murray and Natasha went to last night. I'll call you back in a little bit." Matt was ready to hang up.

"Just so I can feel like I've got a little bit of information on this case, what is the name and address?" Hoyt took it down. "Alright, call me when you get out of there and let me know if you got anything. I'll have some info about the plate number by then."

Both men hung up. Hoyt pulled his keyboard in front of him and typed in the plate number that Houston had given him. It came back as being registered to Alexander Rossovich. Hoyt looked to see if they had a file on Rossovich. He gave a low whistle as the information popped up on his screen. "Houston, what have you and Murray gotten into?" Hoyt continued to read the laundry list of offenses, then decided to have the file pulled. As he called down to records to make the request, he continued to read about Rossovich. Suddenly, he froze. The restaurant that Houston had just told him about belonged to the Russian immigrant. He tried to call Matt. There was no answer. He jumped up, grabbed his jacket and headed off to the elevator at a run.


	12. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

Matt parked in the lot across the street from the Armavir Restaurant. As he walked through the door he was momentarily blinded. The interior was very dark. He walked over to the maître de, and decided it was time to pull out the Billy Joe Mattlock character that he often used in investigations.

"Hidy! I'm lookin' for a feller that was supposed to be here last night – bald headed guy, kinda looks like a school teacher, know what I mean? He was here with a red head." Matt looked into the expressionless face. There was no response.

"Well, this feller, he owes my uncle some money. A lot of money. And now the scum sucker is trying to dodge him. Could you tell me if he was here last night?" Still no response other than a slight nod. Matt felt like someone was behind him, and as he turned to look, something that felt like the butt of a gun came down on the back of his head and the lights went out.

When he came to, he found himself with his hands tied together in the trunk of a car. He listened and didn't hear a sound other than the usual traffic sounds of the city. Matt felt around inside the trunk by the backseat but soon discovered that the emergency trunk release had been disabled. Then he felt around the trunk and found something else: a lug wrench. He turned slightly and began tapping on the brake light assembly. After several attempts he felt the plastic give way and a small amount of light came into the trunk. He continued to work on the tail light until he could see out. It was beginning to get dark. He knew then that he hadn't been out for too long. A minute or so later, the tail light was completely gone, and Matt began to turn himself in the trunk so that he could get to the other brake light. Very few times in his life had his height been a problem, but this was one of those times. He managed to get turned and started working on the other tail light.

Unbeknownst to Matt, Michael Hoyt had shown up at the Armavir about fifteen minutes after he was hit over the head and about five minutes after he was put in the trunk of the car. Hoyt saw Houston's truck in the parking lot across the street and pulled in behind it. He got out of his car and peered through the window into Matt's truck: his cell phone was sitting on the center console.

"Damn it, Houston, don't you know better than to not have your phone on you?" He started over toward the restaurant then stopped: the tail light assembly just fell out. "Bet I know who did that." He got back in his car and continued to keep an eye on the blue Chrysler. The door to the restaurant opened and out walked Alexander Rossovich and two other men. Hoyt watched as the three men got into the car and pulled away. He began to follow them. They drove for several miles, finally stopping behind a hardware store. The men got out and went in. Hoyt drove up behind the store, pulled his pistol from his shoulder holster and quietly made his way over to the car, where he knelt down by the rear of the driver's side, out of sight of the building. He whispered, "Houston!"

"Hoyt, is that you?" The muffled voice of the private investigator came through the trunk lid.

"Yeah, it's me. Pull the emergency trunk release and get out of there, now!" He looked around to make sure no one was watching.

In his best dumb voice Matt said, "Gee, Lieutenant, why didn't I think of that?" He rolled his eyes. "It's been disabled, Hoyt, get me outta this damn thing!"

Hoyt moved up to the driver's side door and saw the keys in the ignition. He quietly opened the door, removed the keys and went back to the trunk and opened it. Houston held out his hands and Hoyt took a knife out of his pocket and cut the rope that was tied around the private investigator's wrists.

As Matt got out of the trunk, he looked around. "I'm guessing they're inside?"

"Yeah. Do you want to file a complaint?" Hoyt just couldn't seem to help himself and smiled at the look on the PI's face.

"Funny, real funny." Houston reached down into his pocket and removed a small transmitter, then raised the edge of the trunk's carpet and placed the bug under it. He closed the trunk quietly and the two friends made their way back to Hoyt's car. "Let me borrow your phone."

Hoyt handed over his phone and Matt dialed CJ's number. "Hey, babe. Do me a favor. Pull up the BugBytes program on your computer and activate the number three account. Yeah, I'm fine. Can't talk too much right now, though. Is everything okay there? Good. I'll call you back as soon as I can. Love you, too. Bye." He handed the phone back to Hoyt.

"BugBytes? Really? Where did that one come from?" He had never heard of such a program.

"You remember Derwin Dunlap? He and I worked together on it. I'm kind of testing it out." Matt smiled at the incredulous look on the policeman's face.

Hoyt shook his head. "Is there anything that you haven't managed to dabble in?"

Matt, keeping a completely straight face, replied, "Sure, Hoyt. I've never been a cop."

"Good thing, too. You'd be fired within the first twenty four hours." He looked up in time to see Rossovich and his men coming back out of the hardware store carrying what looked like saws.

"Hmmm…looks like they're planning on cutting some steaks." Matt looked over at Hoyt and smiled. "But I bet they're going to be disappointed when they find out I'm not in that trunk." He watched as the car pulled away. Hoyt started the engine. "Hold up, Hoyt. I think we should let the bug do its work. I can keep tabs on these guys from home. Think you can drop me back off at my truck?"

Hoyt nodded. "That might be the best idea since I really don't have any cause for following these guys." The two rode in silence for a few minutes. Then Hoyt started chuckling.

"What's so funny?" Matt looked over at the detective.

"I guess married life has started to tame you down, Houston. You're playing it safe, letting the bug be in harm's way instead of yourself." He looked over at Matt.

"I wouldn't say tamed down, Hoyt. More like I'm approaching things in a smarter way. Besides, while the bug is working, I can go home and play." A devilish smile crossed his face and caused the lieutenant to shake his head, then grin. "I should have known you had ulterior motives."


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

As he neared his house from the eastern end of the road, Matt saw the flash of emergency lights. He immediately wondered about CJ. Drawing nearer, he saw four police cruisers and two unmarked cars, as well as a roll back wrecker from the crime lab. A patrol car was being loaded.

Houston stopped when he spied an officer that he knew. "Hey, Carlisle, is that the cruiser that went missing earlier today?"

The older officer leaned on the door of Matt's truck. "Yeah, it is…and the bodies of the two young guys that were assigned to it." He shook his head. "I'm getting too old for this. Just can't take seeing these young folks getting killed anymore."

"Who were they?" Matt knew quite a few officers and the loss of any one of them was a tragedy.

"Mancini and Zucker. Mancini and his wife were expecting their fourth child. Zucker graduated from the academy last year." Carlisle just shook his head. "I'm retiring this year. Today just made up my mind for me."

Matt nodded, then drove on up to the house, relieved that his family was okay, but upset for the loss of two other families that night. As he reached the gate he saw Uncle Roy opening it for him. He stopped after pulling inside. "Any more sign of trouble?"

"No, not a one. Real quiet except for some sirens a little while ago." He looked back at the road and then back at Matt.

"They found the missing patrol car – and the two officers, both dead." He shook his head. "Look, I don't know about you, but I could sure use some dinner about now. What do you say – we put everything on lockdown and guard from inside the house?"

"Sounds like a plan to me." Roy walked over to his car, closed the trunk and followed Matt up the driveway. Both men scanned the area around the house as they got out of their vehicles and then went inside.

He wasn't prepared for what he saw next: Murray was wearing an apron and was in the midst of removing a large dish of lasagna from the oven. "Good! You two got here just in time." With that, the executive opened the microwave and pulled out a plate full of bread sticks. "Since we didn't get our Italian food at lunch, I thought maybe we could make up for it with some lasagna."

Matt looked across the room at CJ, who was sitting with her feet propped in a chair sipping on a bottle of beer and smiling. "The sauce is gonna knock your socks off, Matt. He can give Mama a run for her money." She was referring to everyone's favorite Italian restaurant owner, Rosa Novelli, who also happened to be the mother of their very good friend Vince. The Novelli family had moved to Hawaii after Vince was shot and forced to take early retirement.

"Well, I'm starved so I guess I'll take a chance on him." Matt walked over to CJ who stood up and put her arms around his neck. The newlyweds kissed until Murray ordered them to sit down so everyone could eat.

Around mouthfuls of some of the best lasagna he had eaten in ages, Matt described the details of the investigation so far. "So then, Hoyt took me back to my truck and here I am. Pass the breadsticks."

CJ just looked at him, holding the breadsticks in midair. "You got hit over the head and loaded in some guy's trunk and you say "Pass the breadsticks?" That's all you can say?"

Matt looked up at her, swallowed lasagna, and said, "Okay, pass the breadsticks, PLEASE?"

Roy looked at Murray and they both looked to see what CJ did next. She looked at her husband, sighed, and passed the plate to him. Roy and Murray looked at each other again and shrugged their shoulders. Both had expected CJ to get upset, but that didn't seem to be the case.

"Murray, I'm impressed. It was great!" Matt leaned back in his chair. "Where did you learn to cook like that?"

"Well, you know how it is, or maybe you don't. Some of us guys have to work a little harder at impressing our dates. I've found that lasagna usually works for me." He gave them all a big smile and took a sip of wine.

"You sure impressed me." CJ looked across the table at Matt. He gave her a slight smile, letting her know that he was thinking the same thing she was. "Have you made lasagna for Chris yet?"

Murray took another sip of wine. He looked shyly up at CJ. "No, I haven't. I thought about asking her, but…" He looked back at the glass of wine.

Matt leaned forward. "Murray, can I give you a piece of advice? I spent a lot of time denying that I was in love with a certain lady and wasted a lot of years in the process." He took CJ's hand. "Don't make that same mistake. I regret it every single day. Go for it. All she can do is say no. And if she says yes, well, then let nature take its course."

Roy smiled at his nephew. "I do believe that's one of the most intelligent things you've ever said, Mattlock." Everyone at the table cracked up, including Murray.

CJ got up and began loading the dishwasher. Murray moved to help her but she turned him away. "Nope, that's not how it works. The chef doesn't do the dishes. Neither do I actually, the dishwasher does." She smiled, filled Murray's glass with more wine and sent him in the direction of the den. "I believe we need to talk some more. Be there in a jiffy."

Matt, Murray, and Roy all walked into the den. Matt went over to the control panel for the security system and checked: everything appeared to be working fine. He walked over, sat down in his recliner, and took off his boots.

"Okay, Murray, now that we've all been fed, and well fed I might add, we need to work on your case some more. You've already told us everything that you remember about last night, right? Or have you remembered something else?" Matt kicked back in the recliner.

"No, I haven't remembered anything more." He took a sip of wine.

"Alright then, tell me about any unusual things that have happened at the office." He watched Murray closely.

"Well, let's see. About the only thing out of the ordinary happened about two months ago. I had a visitor one day, a lawyer. He said he represented a tobacco company in Russia that had heard of Houston Industries and thought we would be a good partner for their attempt to expand to the US. Then I told him that we didn't deal with tobacco or tobacco products. He kept trying to talk me into it, but I told him that was one thing that we had never sold and never would." He looked at Matt, who suddenly sat up straight.

"Russia, huh?" He looked at Uncle Roy. They hadn't told Murray about the Russian cigarette that Matt had found that morning at the hotel.

Roy spoke up. "Do you remember the lawyer's name?"

"Uh, no, but it should be on the calendar at the office." Murray always kept track of every meeting he attended, a habit that up until now had always annoyed Matt.

"Okay, we'll go to the office tomorrow and take a look. Can you think of anything else, Murray?" Matt tried not to let Murray know that alarm bells were going off in his head. By the expression on Roy's face he was thinking the same thing. "Tell you what Murray, I've got to run by my office and pick up a couple of things. I'll just go check on your calendar while I'm there. Okay, by you?" He began putting his boots back on.

"Sure, I'll go with you." He started to get up off of the couch.

"No. You're staying here. I can't take a chance on you being outside of this house." Matt's voice had an extremely serious tone that Murray hadn't heard on too many occasions.

"Well, you're going to need my key, and my code. It's 72823 – just remember SAUCE." He smiled at Matt. "It's easy to remember that way." He handed him the key. "Houston, I appreciate everything you guys have done for me today. I don't know how I'll ever be able to repay you."

"You're family, Murray. You don't need to repay anything. Ever." Matt clapped him on the shoulder and started back through the kitchen with Roy hot on his tail.

"Planning on going alone?" He took Matt by the shoulder. "I don't think that's a good move. I'll go with you."

"No, Uncle Roy, I need you to stay here and keep Murray safe. I'll be okay. Activate the alarm when I leave." He turned and gave CJ a kiss.

"Where are you going? I thought you were home for the night?" She held his hand.

"I've got to go check on some information that Murray was telling me about that's in his office. Love you." He walked out the door and headed for the truck.

He removed his pistol from his waist band, checked the clip, and laid it on the seat beside him. When he reached the gate, he saw the two officers that were working the night shift guarding the gate. He knew one of them, a cop named Bolivar that had transferred in right before Vince had gotten shot. Matt rolled down his window after passing through the gate.

"You boys doing alright down here?" He knew what it was like pulling guard duty.

"Hey, Houston. We're doing okay. Thought maybe you would grill us a steak while we were here." Bolivar leaned on the cab of the truck.

"Well, I ended up with lasagna tonight. I'd offer you some, but it got wiped out." He was still amazed by Murray's culinary skills. Bolivar laughed and backed away from the truck. "I should be back before too long guys. I sure do appreciate y'all being here. If you need anything call the house. My uncle is there and he can help you out."

"Sure thing, Houston. See you in a while." The officer got back in the squad car and Matt pulled out onto the road.

After an uneventful drive to the office, Matt was feeling a little better, but knew that he couldn't let his guard down, not even for a minute. Walter Cooper was manning the security desk. He looked surprised to see Matt at that time of night. "Wow, Mr. Houston. I didn't think you came to the office this late anymore."

Matt laughed. "Well, I haven't been lately. I've got to go up and pick up a couple of things that I forgot earlier."

"Alright, see ya when you come back through." Walter turned his attention back to the monitors on his desk.

Houston went to the elevator and hit the button for the twentieth floor. It occurred to him that he hadn't been to Murray's office in quite some time, not since before he split the companies. The elevator stopped and he turned left as he stepped out of the car. He stopped. Something just didn't feel right.

Matt pulled his pistol out and turned off the safety. He quietly walked across the lobby, past the reception desk and went to the door of Murray's office. The door was slightly ajar. He brought the pistol up, eased the door open and walked in. The only light came from a lamp on Murray's desk. He looked around but didn't see anyone. Moving toward the closet he heard a rustle and turned just in time to see a man dash out of the bathroom.

"Stop right there!" Matt called out. The man froze momentarily, then turned and brought up his own pistol. Matt was quicker and shot the man in his right hand which was holding the gun. He dropped to his knees. "The next one will do more than wound you. Get down on the floor, spread eagle." Matt kept him covered as he moved toward the desk. He punched the number for security and told Walter that he needed him in Murray's office.

While waiting for the guard to arrive, Matt began questioning the intruder. "What's your name?" No reply. "Who are you working for?" Still no reply. "Maybe I should just shoot you again and see if you talk, how about it?" He got a worried look from the man. "Let's see: arm, shoulder, leg. No. Ah, I know what will get you talking. How about I shoot you right in the knee? I guarantee you will never forget me." The man was obviously scared, but still refused to utter a sound.

Walter appeared. "Cuff him, will you, Walter?" Matt kept him covered while the guard did as he was told. He pulled out his cell and hit Hoyt's number on the speed dial. "Hey, it's me. I've got an intruder in Murray's office – he pulled a gun on me but wasn't quick enough. No, he's alive, but bleeding. Okay, see you in a bit."

Matt looked over at Walter. "Thanks for your help. I don't normally carry cuffs with me." He gave the guard a grin. A few minutes later an extremely tired Hoyt showed up with two officers.

"So, you didn't just go home. You decided to go back out and stir up more trouble. How much trouble can you get into in one day, PI?" Hoyt watched as the officers read the intruder his rights and hauled him out.

"Did you see the tattoos on his arm, Hoyt?" Matt was serious.

"Yes, I did. They're used by the Russian Mafia." He turned and looked around the room. "What do you suppose he was after?"

"Well, after the conversation that I had with Murray earlier, I'd say he was after this." He picked up Murray's desk calendar. It was loaded down with names and times. Matt chuckled. "Poor bastard. He had no idea Murray keeps track of every meeting that he has and who he has them with." He flipped back through the past two months' pages until he found what he was looking for. "Bingo." He wrote the name down on a sticky note and handed it to Hoyt. "This is the name of a lawyer that came to see Murray two months ago." He related the story that Murray had told him after dinner that night.

"So, a Russian tobacco company gets turned down and Murray suddenly has a Russian girlfriend. The girlfriend gets killed and you find a Russian cigarette in the hotel room. Too many coincidences there." He walked around the office. "Does anything else seem to be missing?"

Matt looked around. "Not that I can tell. Murray keeps all files locked up in the safe when he's done with them. And it seems to be alright." He walked around the desk and looked at Hoyt. "Have you had any experience with the Russian Mafia before?"

"Not directly. But I've heard things." He looked worried. "Bad things."

Houston nodded. "I'd best be getting back home."

Hoyt walked to the door with him. "I'll get you to sign the report in the morning. Go home and take care of Murray – and CJ."

He and Matt headed for the elevator and parted ways outside the building. Matt got in his truck and drove to the ranch, keeping a good eye out for anyone that might be following him. He didn't see anyone, and all was quiet when he got back home. Bolivar and his partner were still sitting at the gate. Matt waved to them as he went through the gate. He parked in the drive and was met at the kitchen door by CJ and Uncle Roy.

"Murray was bushed. He went to bed right after you left. Everything okay?" She put her arms around his neck and hugged him close.

"Not exactly. Let's go in the den." Matt landed in the recliner again and once again kicked off his boots. He told the pair about what had happened.

"Uncle Roy, I would appreciate your help questioning this guy tomorrow." Roy had learned a lot of techniques while working for the CIA. Matt was hoping he would be able to break the guy's silence.

"Matt, we're getting into dangerous territory here, you know that." Roy was clearly worried. "They don't play by our rules. Hell, they don't play by anybody's rules. It's a free-for-all with these folks."

Matt nodded. "I'll take first watch and tag you at 2:30. Okay by you?" He looked at Roy.

"Works for me. Good night." He gave CJ a kiss on the cheek and went to one of the spare bedrooms.

CJ got up from her perch on the coffee table and climbed into the recliner with Matt, who put his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Do you ever think about what it would be like without all this excitement? No gun toting, no bad guys. Just peace and quiet?" She looked up at her husband.

"All the time, CJ, all the time. But we just keep getting dragged into it, don't we?" He held her close and thought about what it would be like when they had children – would he still be taking these chances?


	14. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

Matt kept checking the location of the blue Chrysler while he was on guard duty. It went to an old warehouse, then back to the restaurant. It left there at midnight and went to Rossovich's home address.

Uncle Roy relieved Matt at 2:30 am, just as they had planned. About 5 am he went into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. It had been quiet all night.

Matt got up at 6:30, showered, dressed and headed down to the kitchen. CJ was putting a stack of pancakes on a plate.

"Great timing. These are for you." She gave her husband a kiss, then turned back to the griddle and continued cooking as Matt poured himself a cup of coffee. "I know you and Roy are going to be dealing with the guy from last night. What did you have planned for Murray?"

"Well, I think he better go with us. Are you going to the office today or were you planning on staying here?" He dug into the pancakes.

"I was going to the office. And I had an idea." She piled pancakes on two more plates for Murray and Roy who had just walked into the kitchen. "We've got plenty of security at the office. What if we have a guard posted in the outer office with Chris and lock up the elevator? I promise I won't order pizza today." The last was said with a smile.

Matt exchanged a look with Roy. "What do you think?"

"I believe you married a very smart cookie – as well as a great cook." He smiled at CJ and continued to plow into the pancakes.

"Houston, I hate that I'm such a problem." Murray appeared nervous.

"You're not the problem, Murray, the bad guys are." He finished up the stack of pancakes and rinsed his plate at the sink before putting it in the dishwasher.

"Well, would you look at that?" Roy elbowed Murray. "By golly this girl has him trained already!" The two shared a chuckle. Matt just rolled his eyes, kissed CJ on the cheek, and headed out the back door.

"I'm going to go talk to Lamar and Bo for a minute." He walked out the door whistling. When he got almost down to the bunkhouse, he met the two ranch hands just coming out the door. "Morning. What are you boys up to today?"

"Well, we were going to cut hay out on the west side today." Lamar stretched and looked at the sky. "Looks to be a good day for it."

"Guys, can I get you to do something for me?" Matt didn't often ask them to do anything other than their normal work, so they both paid attention.

"Sure, Houston. Whatcha need?" Bo noticed the serious look on his face.

Without telling them all the details, Matt told them enough to keep them on their toes. "So, just don't worry about the hay right now, okay? I need y'all to keep a sharp lookout around here today. I'm not sure what time we'll be back. And there are going to be a couple of cops guarding the front gate. I'd appreciate it if you'd make sure they're taken care of: coffee, sandwiches, whatever they need. There's plenty of grub in the fridge at the house. But be careful of the alarm and make sure you turn it back on when you lock up and leave."

"No problem, boss." Lamar looked around. "Tell you what; we'll just work around the barn today. That way we can keep an eye out and not look like we are."

"I'd appreciate it, fellas. Y'all be careful, okay? Keep a rifle or two handy, just in case." Matt didn't want these two to get caught up in any trouble, but knew that they could shoot if needed. He turned and started back toward the house. "Call if you see anything that doesn't look right."

"You got it, Houston." The pair watched Matt walk back up toward the house. Bo looked at Lamar. "Something is going on big-time. He's working awful hard not to look worried."

"Yep. Let's start looking like we're doing something." Lamar turned and went into the barn followed by Bo.

When Matt got back up to the house, everyone was ready to go. He, CJ, and Murray rode in the truck and Uncle Roy followed them in his car. There were two more officers at the gate now, both of whom Matt knew. He told them what he had told the officers the night before, and gave them Lamar's cell number in case they needed anything.

It was a typical drive into the office. There weren't any tails following. But Matt was keeping a careful watch and knew that Roy was as well. When they got up to the office, Matt locked the elevator. He left word at the security desk downstairs for any visitors for Houston Investigations to be cleared by CJ, Roy, or himself.

"Okay, Murray. We've got the same basic rules here as we did at the ranch: Stay inside, stay away from the windows, the blinds stay closed, no phone calls unless absolutely necessary. Got it?" Matt looked at the reaction from Murray. "On the upside: you can go talk to Chris all you want." He winked at him. That brightened up the CEO tremendously. Then a frown crossed his face. "Houston, what about my work? I already missed yesterday, and I've got meetings scheduled for today, and…"

"No you don't, Murray. They've been cancelled until further notice." Matt walked into CJ's office. "Uncle Roy and I are about to go sit in on the interrogation with Hoyt." He leaned over and gave her a kiss. "Don't let anybody up here unless you have asked them to come up or you know that they are 100% trustworthy, okay?"

"Got it. Matt, please be careful. I love you." She gave him a hug then went back to the stack of papers on her desk.

"Love you, too, babe." He walked to the outer office as Roy was finishing telling Chris about the new security measures. "Ready to go?"

"Yep, I am now. You kids have fun." He winked at Murray and Chris, both of whom blushed.

When the two detectives arrived at the police station they found it in total chaos. Matt managed to snag an officer that he knew and asked what was going on.

"Somebody came in and executed a prisoner that was about to be questioned. Shot him right in the head." The officer shook his head.

Matt and Roy exchanged a glance. Roy took out his cell and hit Hoyt's number. After a few rings it was answered. "Hoyt, please tell me…"

"It was our guy, Roy. I don't know how they did it. I'm going over security footage right now. I'll send an officer to the front door to escort you back. We're on lockdown right now, but since you're involved in this I can get you inside." Hoyt sounded as if he was ready to scream.

Officer Sanchez came to escort the two private detectives to the lieutenant's office. When they got there, he was looking at footage from all of the security cameras. "I just found our suspect." Hoyt pointed to the footage from camera 11: a large man wearing the uniform of a vending machine company. "There isn't a vending machine anywhere near that interrogation room." They continued to watch the suspect as he passed from the coverage area of camera 11 to camera 12.

"This guy knows the camera is there – he's got his face hidden from it." Matt leaned closer. There was something vaguely familiar about the guy.

"There he goes – right into interrogation room 6. Now here's the footage from that camera." Hoyt hit a few strokes on his keyboard. "Right there. He knew the position of that camera, too. And there's the double tap to the head."

"Hoyt would you go back to camera 12? There's something familiar…" Matt leaned closer. "Can you take that to full screen?" Hoyt hit the keyboard again. "Look at him. Doesn't he seem familiar?"

"Good Lord, Houston! That's Ross, one of the officers who arrested Murray!"

"Do you know where he is right now?" Matt felt a jolt of adrenaline.

"Yes, he's supposed to be on patrol." Hoyt picked up his phone. "Sanders, is Martin Ross on patrol right now? Of course he did." He hung up the phone. "Ross called out sick today. Funny though, he sure didn't look sick when he shot the burglary suspect."

"We need to find out what kind of car he drives, his address… we've got to get this guy, Hoyt." Matt looked at Roy, who looked as worried as Hoyt.


	15. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

Matt and Roy were following Lt. Hoyt in his undercover car and they were being followed by four patrol cars. Roy convinced Hoyt not to tell the officers where they were going and to maintain radio silence, no matter what happened. They didn't want Ross to know they were on his trail.

Hoyt pulled onto the end of the street where Ross lived. He called Houston's cell phone. "It looks like his Malibu is in the drive, Houston."

"Okay. I'm thinking we should let you and six of these officers go around back while Uncle Roy and I along with the other two officers take the front." Matt knew he was going to meet with some resistance.

"What? Why…" The lieutenant was getting wound up.

"Hoyt, we need to make sure these guys stay honest, right? I know you can watch the four that are with you, and Roy and I can watch the other two. Besides, Ross is more than likely going to try to go out the back. Just make sure your guys stay hidden as much as possible." He waited for an answer.

"Okay, I guess that makes sense. Look, I don't need the brass breathing down my neck over a civilian getting hurt again…"He didn't say "Like what happened before." Hoyt waited for Matt to agree to be careful.

"Yes, dear, I promise to be careful. Seems like I already had to tell somebody else that this morning." He looked at Roy and grinned.

"Nobody likes a smart…"Hoyt tried to get in, but Matt hung up on him. He looked up at Hoyt's car and saw the gesture that was being given to him and laughed. As Hoyt got out of his car and walked back to get the officers that were going to cover the back of the house he looked at Matt and couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, well, well, so all I have to do to get a laugh outta him is to hang up. Who knew?" He and Roy both chuckled as they got out of the truck. He walked back to where Hoyt was explaining the operation to the other officers.

"And you two will go with Houston and Roy to cover the front." He looked at Matt. "Anything else you can think of before we start?"

"Yeah, one little thing. We need to see everybody's cell phones on the hood of the car right now." He looked at Hoyt who appeared to be surprised. The officers looked at each other, then at the lieutenant.

"You heard the man, phones on the hood." He watched as each officer put their cell phone on the hood in front of him. "Marcos, you too." The young officer had frozen. His partner looked at him.

"Come on, Johnny. Let's get this over with. We gotta prove to the famous PI here that we're not in cahoots with a bad guy." Merlins looked at his partner. "Or are you in cahoots? You sent a text message while ago!" He grabbed for his partners phone in his shirt pocket. Marcos grabbed his wrist. The other officers pulled their weapons and Marcos surrendered his phone. Matt went through his sent folder on the phone.

"Damn it! He's already told him we're here!" He looked at the young officer. "Are you trying to get all of us killed?"

"He's my friend, okay? I thought he deserved a little warning." Marcos was now in handcuffs, his pockets emptied and his gun belt removed.

"Secure his legs, too." Hoyt looked at the officer. "You know you just blew it. You're not only fired, you're facing charges, too. Stuff him in the back of your patrol car, White." He turned to Houston. "What do you think? Go ahead like we planned?"

Matt had just finished checking the other phones and looked back over his shoulder at Ross's car that was still in the driveway. He nodded. "We'll just have to be extra careful." He shot a look at Marcos who was lying in the back seat of the patrol car. "We'll give y'all two minutes to get into position. Then call my cell. We'll move in on the first ring. Okay?"

"Alright." Hoyt and the other officers took off around the back of a neighboring house to get to the back of the Ross home. Matt and Roy were down to one officer, Merlins. He looked at Houston.

"Mr. Houston, I want to apologize to you. I thought you were just being a … well, a jerk about the phones. I'm sorry." He held out his hand.

Matt looked at the officer's hand. "I won't shake it unless you quit calling me "Mr."."

"Deal." Merlins shook the private detective's hand.

"If you youngsters are through making up, I suggest we get ready to hit that door." Roy looked at the two men, who both smiled. The three of them began to slowly walk up the street toward the Ross house. Just as they reached the front walk, Matt's phone began to vibrate. He checked the ID and it was Hoyt. "That's our signal, let's move!" The three men ran up the walk with weapons drawn and stood on either side of the front door. Merlins was turned to keep an eye on the front window. Matt pounded on the door. "Ross! Open up!" They heard sound of movement inside. Matt knocked on the door again. "Ross!" Suddenly there was the blast of a shotgun, then silence. Next they heard Hoyt and the other officers make entry through the back door. Within a few seconds, Hoyt was opening the door for them.

"Well, he won't be answering any questions. He decided to eat the barrel of the shotgun." He stepped back. Matt saw what was left of Ross on the couch. He looked at Uncle Roy.

"Not good, boy. We're running out of people to question." Roy looked at the disgraced officer, then turned and walked out the door.


	16. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

"Hoyt, when you get done there, come to the office. We need to be somewhere that we can talk and not be overheard by the wrong folks." Matt knew Hoyt was hurt by the betrayal of a brother officer, but they just couldn't take any more chances.

"Much as I hate to admit it, Houston, you're right. I'll be there in about an hour." Hoyt hung up the phone and went back to filling out the paperwork on the fiasco that had happened earlier. He stopped for a minute to rub his eyes, then pulled out the bottle of antacid in his desk drawer and took a long swig.

Houston was sitting in front of Baby, digging back through all the information that they had so far on the case. He knew that they had missed something somewhere. CJ walked over to the couch, stepped over the back of it like they always did, and sat down next to her husband. She put a hand on his shoulder. "Matt, come on and eat some lunch." He shook his head no, and continued to stare at the computer screen. "Hon, you'll think better on a full stomach. Come on." He didn't move. "Please?" Matt leaned back on the couch, put an arm around CJ and closed his eyes.

"I've missed something, CJ. Something important and it's driving me crazy." He opened his eyes and looked at his wife.

"Come on and eat a sandwich. Then we'll go over it again." She stood up and pulled on Matt's hand, but he wouldn't budge. "Okay, do I need to make a 911 call to Mama in Hawaii to get you to eat?"

Matt's eyes opened wide. He looked at CJ. "That's it, CJ. The 911 records. Who called the cops to the El Capitan Hotel when Murray got arrested?" He picked up his cell phone and called Hoyt back. "Hoyt, look at the 911 log. Who called in for the murder at the El Capitan?"

Hoyt punched keys on his computer. "Anonymous. Doesn't that figure? Wait a minute, the call came from a warehouse across town."

"Let me guess, it's at 8161 Industrial." Matt held his breath.

"Yeah, how did you know?" The police detective couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"BugBytes, Hoyt. Remember, I put the bug in the blue Chrysler that belongs to Alexander Rossovich? That's where it went that night after you got me out of the trunk."

"I'll be…" Houston heard movement on Hoyt's end of the line. "To hell with this paperwork. The man's already dead and he won't get any deader. I'm on the way." He hung up.

Matt looked at CJ and grinned. "I believe I'll take that sandwich now." He got up and walked over to the bar and joined Roy. "Hoyt's on his way." He picked up one of the deli sandwiches and declared war on it. "CJ, have you heard anything back on Murray's drug testing?"

"Not yet." She picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of Matt's mouth.

"Thanks." Matt's voice was muffled by the sandwich. CJ just looked at him and shook her head and smiled. "If Mama could only see you now."

"CJ…" Houston tried to talk but his mouth was too full. She just stood there smiling at him. He gulped down a bite. "See what you can find out about Ross. Bank accounts, credit cards, whatever. They had to be able to get to him somehow."

"You got it." She turned and walked over to Baby, sat down, and started in on Matt's request.

Matt sat down on the bar stool next to his uncle. "You're awful quiet, Uncle Roy." He continued munching on his sandwich.

The older man looked around to see where Murray was. "Hsss wif Cmris." Matt was talking with his mouth full again.

"I'm guessing that means that he's with Chris?" Roy looked at his nephew, somewhat amused. Matt nodded. "I've been puzzling over the death of Natasha. Now, we know she was Alexander Rossovich's niece. Most uncles don't kill their nieces or nephews – unless they are exhibiting atrocious table manners." He gave Matt a look. His nephew swallowed, wiped his mouth and said "Please continue."

"Well, as I was saying most uncles don't kill their nieces. Murray told us that someone had threatened Natasha's family. Could it be whoever threatened her family did the murder and not her uncle?"

Matt pondered the question. "I wonder if it had anything to do with the lawyer. That's what else we forgot." He jumped up and walked over to the couch where CJ was working on Baby. "Hey, did you ever dig up the info on the lawyer for the Russian tobacco company?"

"No. I'll get on that now." She went back to punching keys.

Matt walked back over to the bar and started in on another sandwich, making sure not to offend his uncle with his manners this time.

A short time later Hoyt called up from the lobby. Matt went to the control panel for the elevator and turned the key to let the police lieutenant up. Hoyt stepped off the elevator and Matt immediately turned the key again, blocking entrance to anyone else.

"Okay, CJ's been working on a couple of things for us." Matt and Hoyt walked into the inner office. "She's been pulling records on Ross and the lawyer for the tobacco company." They made their way over to the couch where they had a seat. Matt put his arm on the back of the couch and gave CJ a hug. "Whatcha got so far, babe?"

"Well, some very interesting facts. It seems that Ross wasn't really Ross." She looked at the puzzled expressions on the two men's faces.

"That's clear as muddy water, CJ." Matt looked at Hoyt who shook his head in agreement.

"What I mean is his real name – when he came here from Russia as a two-year-old, was…Rossovich." Matt and Hoyt exchanged glances again, then looked back at CJ.

"How did he get that past the department?" Hoyt was incredulous.

"I'm thinking it was because his adoption records were sealed." CJ punched a few keys and a picture of a much younger Ross appeared on the screen – standing next to none other than Alexander Rossovich. "He and Natasha were cousins."

Matt thought about what he had just heard. "So I'm thinking now that the intruder in Murray's office worked for someone other than Alexander Rossovich. Ross killed the guy because of his cousin's murder."

Hoyt nodded. "That makes sense. What about the lawyer? I'm guessing he's working for the tobacco company that's run by another Russian Mafia family?"

CJ clicked a few more keys. Up popped the picture of the lawyer. "Murray, can you come here for a minute?" Murray walked in from the outer office.

"That's him! That's the lawyer that came to my office about the tobacco company." He looked shocked.

"What else have you got on him?" Hoyt leaned forward and looked at the screen.

"Mikhail Karmosov, age 73…" CJ was interrupted by Roy.

"I'll be damned. He wasn't dead." Roy stood there and looked at the picture of the former KGB assassin.

"That's the guy that you told me about yesterday? That one that smoked the cigarettes?" Matt turned to look at his uncle.

"That's him. And I'm willing to bet he was in on the murder of Natasha." Roy walked around the end of the couch and sat down next to Hoyt.

"You said this fella was a good shot. I'm gonna go out on a limb here and guess he was a sniper?" He looked past Hoyt to his uncle.

"Yep. Helluva shot." Roy looked extremely worried.

"As far as we know, Karmosov and the guy that broke into Murray's office were the only two here that worked for the other family." Matt got up and started pacing. "So it would seem that we have one bad guy out there that we need to get. IF he's the only one here from that family. Do we have any idea who the head of the family is?"

"No." CJ leaned back from the keyboard. "I haven't found anything else on him. It's almost like he doesn't exist."

Roy chuckled. "Well, my dear, he did used to work for the KGB. They're pretty good at that sort of thing…but then so are we." With that, he got up, went into CJ's office and closed the door.

"I believe he's calling an old friend….or two." Matt looked at CJ and Hoyt. "This guy doesn't stand a chance with Uncle Roy and his old buddies on his tail."

An hour later Roy came out of CJ's office. Matt was lying on the couch, his head in CJ's lap, lightly snoring, while Hoyt was stretched out on the other end doing the same. "Energetic bunch we've got here." He looked at CJ and grinned.

"Did you find out anything?" She was yawning herself.

"Yes I did. It seems that Karmosov had help faking his death." Roy walked to the bar and pulled a Fizzy Pop from the refrigerator and walked back to stand behind CJ.

"From the CIA?" CJ tilted her head back to look up at Roy.

"The one and only. He worked as a double agent for a while. Then he disappeared somewhere in the US. After searching for him for some time, the CIA figured that he had been found out by the KGB and was executed." He took a long drink.

"Obviously not. Why do I get the impression that he was still working for the KGB when he was working for the CIA?" She looked down at Matt.

"That's the general consensus of my friends. But, we may have an idea as to which family he's working for these days." Roy took another drink and walked around in front of CJ. "He was close to one other agent when he was with the KGB. A beautiful girl named Olga Kynetzsov. I know for certain that her family is one of the most powerful in Russia today."

CJ looked down at Matt again. "I really hate to wake him up." She started lightly tickling the right side of his mustache. His nose began to twitch, then his hand came up to swat at whatever was tickling him and his eyes flew open. CJ began to laugh.

"Not funny, CJ." Matt sat up and rubbed his eyes. "What did you find out?"

"Let's wake up Michael so I don't have to repeat this but once more. We've got to come up with a plan." Roy started toward Hoyt, whose cell phone rang at that moment. He jumped like he'd been shot and answered it. "Yeah, Sanchez. The prints on the cigarette. Yeah. Son of a…" He listened. "Thanks a lot. Gotta go." He disconnected the call and stood up. "The prints came back on that cigarette you found in the hotel room, Houston, and they belong to Karmosov. Now the question is: how do we find him?"

Matt smiled. "We don't. We let him find us."


	17. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

"I still don't like it. Look what happened last time we had one of you undercover." Hoyt was referring to Matt recently being stabbed by a serial killer who had been killing people at movie theaters.

"Well, Michael, you can't hold it against me because the boy here got hurt." Roy looked at Matt.

"Gee, thanks Uncle Roy." Matt walked over to the bar and poured himself some coffee.

"I don't care which one of you got hurt. It all boils down to the fact that you're civilians." Hoyt walked over and sat on a bar stool.

"Civilian or not, I'm the only one with any experience dealing with the Russians, and Karmosov in particular." Uncle Roy leaned on the bar and looked at Hoyt, who reached into his pocket for the ever-present antacids. Matt reached around to the refrigerator and pulled out a cup of yogurt and a spoon.

"Try it, Hoyt." He looked at his friend. They had argued back and forth for quite a few months now about Hoyt's ulcers and the use of yogurt. The police detective looked at Matt. "If I try it, will you please shut up about it from now on?"

"Promise." Houston pushed it across the bar to him. "You do like strawberry, right?"

Hoyt just nodded, then took a spoonful of the yogurt. By the look on his face it was much better than he had expected. "Mmh. This stuff isn't bad. I thought it would be more like sour milk." He continued eating it. "Anyway, we've got to figure out how to work on the Russians, preferably without a PI or anyone else getting hurt or killed."

"Well, how about this…" CJ walked over to the bar and sat down between Roy and Hoyt. "Murray Chase, CEO of Houston Industries has had a change of heart. He's now interested in going into business with the Russian tobacco company. That should bring Karmosov out of the woodwork."

The three men looked at each other. "That oughta do the trick." Matt leaned across the bar and kissed his wife. "Ya know, I didn't just marry you because you're sexy, but because you're smart, too."

Hoyt rolled his eyes. "Enough of the newlywed routine already. How should we work it?"

"I believe I've got an idea." Matt smiled at Hoyt.

"Oh, God, he's smiling. That's not good, is it?" He looked at CJ and Roy who were smiling, too.

"We're going to need to wire Murray's office with cameras and microphones. That's easy enough. And I think we should put Murray into a bullet proof vest, just in case. That is, if he's willing to play along with it. Murray, can you come in here, please?"

The CEO rounded the corner and came into the office. "Yes, sir?"

"We've got an idea Murray, but you're going to be in a little bit of danger. Are you willing to give it a try?" Matt looked at his friend.

"If it will get the people who killed Natasha, you bet I will. What do I need to do?" He leaned on the bar.

"Remember when you called yesterday morning and I suggested that you try your hand at acting?" Houston smiled at him and CJ giggled.

Six hours later everything was in place. Matt and Roy had wired Murray's office. Murray had made a call to the lawyer and set up a meeting for that night at 7 pm. Hoyt had officers standing by in the office next door to Murray's and the trap was set.

Murray was in his office and looked like a wreck. Hoyt was watching him on the surveillance cameras. "He looks like he's going to have a heart attack, Houston. Do you think he can pull this off?"

"He's motivated. He really did like that girl." Matt sat back in his chair. "I haven't said anything to him yet, but I've got a feeling that Natasha was going to be used to blackmail him. I think she was setting him up, and then actually found out that she liked him. When she tried to back out, Karmosov or the guy that broke into the office killed her. Karmosov is most likely the one that had Alexander Rossovich at gunpoint."

"I was thinking the same thing." They both watched Murray as he paced back and forth in his office. "Poor guy."

Matt looked at his watch. "6:55. He should be here soon." No sooner had he said it than there was a knock at Murray's door. Matt switched on the mic that was tuned to the ear wig in the CEO's ear. "Stay calm, buddy. We're right here with you."

"Got it, Houston." Murray went to the door, took a big breath and then opened it. He smiled at the Russian. "Please, come in. The more I've thought about your proposal the more I like it." He stood back and allowed the man to come in. "Have a seat. May I get you something to drink?"

The assassin smiled. "Vodka would be good."

Murray walked over to the collection of liquors at the side of his office and poured the drink. He poured one for himself as well, then walked back over and handed Karmosov his glass. He toasted the man: "To a very prosperous business venture." The two men drank. Then Murray walked back around his desk and sat down. "I was afraid that news of my little…accident, shall we say? Might have made you decide against doing business with us. I'm very pleased that isn't the case."

"Well, all men have their moments of awkwardness." Karmosov smiled. Murray wanted to jump across the desk and knock every tooth in his head out.

"A momentary lack of judgment on my part." He smiled at the slime bag. "You know, I didn't kill the girl and I'm not sure who did. But I am sure of one thing." He took another drink. "They did me a favor. She was getting to be more trouble than she was worth."

"Glad I could be of service to you." The Russian took another sip of his drink.

"Oh, so you helped me out? Guess I know who to thank now. All I remember is a lot of blood. Did you shoot her? I never heard. I've got a great lawyer, the best there is, and she wouldn't even let the cops talk to me." He sat back in the chair.

"No, my friend. A bullet would have been too good for her, and worth far too much to be wasted on such a slut." Karmosov put his glass on the table. "All that was needed was a whiskey bottle and a firm hand to take her out."

"Move in! Now! He just confessed!" Hoyt and Matt jumped to their feet and ran through the door, guns drawn. They were joined by six other officers. "Down on the floor! Now!" Hoyt moved in with his weapon trained on the man. "Search him." One of the officers started to search him. Karmosov reached around and pulled the officers pistol and pointed it at Murray, pulling the trigger. Murray went down in the floor behind his desk. Matt and Hoyt both fired at the same time: Hoyt's bullet hit him in the heart, Matt's in the head. The Russian dropped to the floor. Matt ran around to the other side of the desk and rolled Murray onto his back.

"Murray! Come on, buddy, where did he hit you?" Murray's eyes fluttered open. He moaned as Matt ripped open his bullet proof vest. There was a bruise starting to appear on Murray's chest, right over his heart.

"Houston, am I dying?" Murray raised his hand up and felt where the bullet had struck, then looked at his hand. "No blood?"

"That's why they call it a bullet proof vest, Murray." Matt stood and helped the CEO to his feet.

"But it really hurts! If it hurts this bad wearing a vest, how bad does it hurt to actually get shot?" He was still clasping his chest and was bent over trying to catch his breath.

"Worse than that, I can assure you." Hoyt walked over and shook Murray's hand. "I think Houston was right. Maybe you should become an actor."


	18. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

That Saturday everyone was gathered at the ranch. Matt was grilling steaks and they were sitting around the pool. CJ walked over to where Matt was standing by the grill. "Murray seems to be cheering up." Matt looked around and saw him sitting at one of the tables with Chris. He looked back at his wife and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I hope it works out for them."

"Me, too." CJ leaned over and hugged him. "I wish everyone could be as happy as we are."

Roy walked up to the grill. "Boy, is my steak about done?"

"Sure is. Put your plate over here." He loaded his uncle's plate down with a huge T-bone. "Murray, are you about ready for your steak?" There was no answer. Matt, Roy, and CJ looked around. Murray was still sitting in his chair – with Chris in his lap kissing him. "Hmm. Don't think he's worried about steak right now. I'll take care of it for him." He took the steak off of the grill and put it onto a plate then went and sat down at another table and began to eat. CJ and Roy stood there watching.

"You know, CJ, it seems that your husband has a better appetite these days. Must have something to do with being married." He looked over at her and they both smiled as they watched Matt tear into the steak.

"CJ, whms da take sauf?" Matt's mouth was full again.

"Good thing I can understand him." CJ headed over with the bottle of steak sauce and a couple of napkins.


End file.
